My summary of the Atonement

The first attribute of God is love for all of His children. That is the thing which animates everything else. He makes and enforces law because of His love for His children. He designed a plan for our progression because of His love. No matter how imperfect we are, if our primary motivation is love for Him and His children we can’t go too far astray. If we find ourselves going far afield we should examine what motivation is supplanting love for God and our fellow men.

Our loving Father provides the necessities for us before we render Him any service rather than waiting until after.

The Lord is mindful of His people and will save and protect them against all who would harm them.

Another primary attribute of Christ is His expansive mercy. Although He fully understands that mercy cannot rob justice His intent in to allow mercy to have claim wherever possible. The Savior is looking for opportunities to offer forgiveness to us. The Savior is ever willing to forgive any who are willing to repent.

Nobody need be held culpable for things they didn’t know—such debts have been prepaid. Christ prepays for the sins of the unaccountable and gives just judgement for the accountable. None, faithful or otherwise, are excluded from the effects of the Atonement. The infinite Atonement benefits everyone in some way because even those who reject Christ are resurrected.

Salvation doesn’t come by any law given but through the infinite Atonement of the Savior. Salvation is a gift around which the plan of salvation was organized but the plan was not simply a vehicle of obedience, it is a vehicle of transformation and grace. The law helps us in the process of transformation but grace is a gift from Christ to those who accept him in deed. We keep the law but we are made alive in Christ. Bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man means nothing more or less than changing people from their carnal state to a state of righteousness.

Christ is willing to forgive everyone but He understands that where judgement is concerned forgiveness without repentance has no effect—such groundless “salvation” would fail to transform the souls of men and leave them no better than if the Atonement had never been wrought.

On what conditions are people saved? They must believe the truth when they hear it and have their hearts changed so that they trust in Christ—such faith will show in their actions. If they continue to act in faith they receive salvation.